What is an acute spinal injury?

What is an acute spinal injury?

An acute spinal cord injury is caused by trauma to the spinal cord. It is a medical emergency that needs to be treated right away. The severity of symptoms (such as weakness, paralysis, and loss of feeling) depends on how badly the spinal cord is damaged and where on the cord the injury occurs.

What is acute phase of spinal cord injury?

The acute phase takes place immediate following the injury and is conducted at a hospital with an appropriate trauma center. During this time, the patient is immobilized to ensure that the damage to the spinal cord is minimized and any other injuries can be treated.

How long is the acute phase of spinal cord injury?

Treatment for spinal cord injuries can be divided into to two stages: acute and rehabilitation. The acute phase begins at the time of injury, and lasts until the person is stabilized.

What are the most common spinal cord injuries?

The most common causes of spinal cord injuries in the United States are:

• Motor vehicle accidents. Auto and motorcycle accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries, accounting for almost half of new spinal cord injuries each year.
• Falls.
• Acts of violence.
• Sports and recreation injuries.
• Alcohol.
• Diseases.

What is the difference between primary and secondary spinal cord injury?

The primary injury is caused by the initial traumatic event, and the secondary injury is created by a series of biological and functional changes. Your doctor may refer to the later changes as the secondary injury cascade.

What is the primary phase of spinal cord injury?

The most common form of primary injury is impact plus persistent compression, which typically occurs through burst fractures with bone fragments compressing the spinal cord or through fracture-dislocation injuries (8, 12, 13).

What is a secondary spinal cord injury?

The secondary injury process involves swelling and hemorrhage, which leads to increased free radicals and decreased blood flow, causing even greater cell membrane dysfunction and cell death.